Varaha Purana 176.57: Adhyaya 176, Shloka 57
The Māhātmya of Kṛṣṇagaṅgodbhava, Kāliñjara, and the Five Sacred Baths: The Tale of Pāñcāla and Tilottamā
कस्माद्वा कस्य सन्त्रासान्मरणे कृतनिश्चयौ ॥ यत्र कृष्णस्य सञ्चारः क्रीडितं च यथासुखम् ॥
kasmād vā kasya santrāsān maraṇe kṛtaniścayau | yatra kṛṣṇasya sañcāraḥ krīḍitaṃ ca yathāsukham ||
เหตุไฉน—และด้วยความหวาดกลัวผู้ใด—ท่านทั้งสองจึงตั้งใจจะตาย ในสถานที่ที่พระกฤษณะเสด็จดำเนินและทรงเล่นอย่างผาสุก?
Aśarīriṇī vāk (continuation implied)
Varaha Avatara Context: {"is_varaha_focus":false}
Bhu Devi Dialogue: {"is_dialogue":true,"speaker_role":"instructor","key_question":"Why have you chosen death, and from fear of whom, in a land sanctified by Kṛṣṇa’s free movement and play?"}
Mathura Mandala: {"is_mathura_related":true,"specific_site":"Mathurā-maṇḍala / Kṛṣṇa-vihāra-bhūmi (general; no single ghat/kund named in this verse)","parikrama_context":"Implicit: the land where Kṛṣṇa ‘moves about’ evokes the circuit of his līlā-sthalas, a basis for later parikramā framing.","krishna_connection":"Direct: Kṛṣṇa’s sañcāra and krīḍā mark the region as Vaiṣṇava-līlā-kṣetra, foreshadowing Mathurā/Vraja tīrtha-mahātmya themes."}
Dharma Shastra: {"has_dharma_rule":true,"topic":"prayaschitta","instruction_summary":"In a Kṛṣṇa-saturated sacred region, despair-driven death is irrational; one should seek refuge and dharmic remedy rather than self-destruction.","karmic_consequence":"Choosing refuge (śaraṇāgati) and proper conduct yields protection and purification; choosing death from fear compounds suffering and obscures grace."}
Vrata Mahatmya: {"has_vrata":false}
Cosmic Boar Symbolism: {"has_symbolism":false}
Philosophical Teaching: {"has_teaching":true,"teaching_type":"bhakti-ethics (refuge over fear)","core_concept":"Where the Divine is intimately present (līlā-kṣetra), existential fear is misplaced; remembrance transforms crisis into surrender.","practical_application":"In distress, relocate attention from threat to sacred presence—seek tīrtha, satsanga, and devotional remembrance rather than drastic acts."}
Subject Matter: ["Ethics","Geography","Heritage Sites"]
Primary Rasa: adbhuta
Secondary Rasa: śānta
Type: sacred landscape (līlā-kṣetra)
Related Themes: Varāha Purāṇa 176.64 (cakrāṅkita-pada sanctity); Varāha Purāṇa 176.65-66 (tīrtha-ethics; bathing expiation)
Visual Art Cues: {"scene_description":"A celestial, unseen voice questions would-be self-sacrificers, while the background suggests a serene Kṛṣṇa-līlā landscape.","item_prompts":["skyborne voice motif","figures halted mid-action","distant pastoral Vraja hints (kadamba trees, Yamunā suggestion)","subtle iconographic cue of Kṛṣṇa’s presence (flute silhouette or peacock-feather emblem)"],"kerala_mural_prompt":"Kerala mural: lush greens, stylized trees; a faint Kṛṣṇa emblem in the distance; strong narrative gestures of questioning and restraint.","tanjore_prompt":"Tanjore: ornate landscape panel with gold accents; symbolic Kṛṣṇa motif (flute/peacock feather) in upper corner; rich textiles on figures.","mysore_prompt":"Mysore: refined pastoral background, gentle tonal gradations; emphasis on facial expression of surprise and dawning calm.","pahari_prompt":"Pahari: lyrical Vraja scenery with delicate trees and river; small divine sign of Kṛṣṇa; conversational tension captured in posture."}
Audio Atmosphere: {"recitation_mood":"inquiring yet protective","suggested_raga":"Khamaj","pace":"medium","voice_tone":"clear, questioning, gently admonishing"}
FAQs
It links moral reassurance to sacred landscape, a common Purāṇic technique that makes geography a participant in ethical reasoning.
The verse does not name the site, but it describes a Kṛṣṇa-associated area consistent with the Mathurā-region narrative frame.
It challenges fear-driven decisions and urges reconsideration when one’s judgment is shaped by panic rather than discernment.
Ask anything about this verse
Answers come straight from the texts, with the shlokas they draw on. Ask in your own words.
A free Google sign-in keeps your chat saved across web and the app.
Read Varaha Purana in the Vedapath app
Scan the QR code to open this directly in the app, with word-by-word meanings, Sanskrit recitation where available, and more.